Volume 1 Chapter 17 Strategy

The vast palace was filled with a chilling cold that seemed to consume every inch of the air. Ye Yuntang’s faint footsteps echoed through the empty hall, each step feeling like a stab at her own heart. Fear clung to her like a shadow, growing ever more intense.

Suddenly, a deep, muffled growl, as if from the abyss, reverberated through the still night, followed by the frantic clanking of heavy iron chains, sounding terrifyingly sharp in the silence. Ye Yuntang’s delicate body trembled violently. Raising her eyes, she glimpsed the blurry figure of Xie Chenyan through the drifting white gauze.

He was bound tightly by thick chains, his hair disheveled, his piercing blue eyes bloodshot. Like a trapped beast, he struggled fiercely despite his restraints, desperate to break free. Each clatter of the chains struck Ye Yuntang’s heart like a hammer blow.

“Who’s there?!”

A powerful surge of true qi suddenly rushed toward her, pulling her in entirely. Instinctively, Ye Yuntang blurted out, “Don’t… don’t kill me! I came to seduce you.”

“Foolish woman!”

Xie Chenyan’s venom, which he had barely managed to suppress, flared up inside him once more. A violent aura surged around him, enveloping Ye Yuntang’s small frame in a deathly shroud.

She truly wanted to slap herself for speaking such reckless truths!

“N-no, I’m here to save… save you…”

Blood spilled from Ye Yuntang’s mouth under the pressure of Xie Chenyan’s overwhelming qi. But in the next moment, the chains binding her shattered.

“Blood… your blood…”

Ye Yuntang studied Xie Chenyan carefully. “You smelled it, didn’t you? There’s a cure for your poison in my blood. So please, don’t kill me…”

Xie Chenyan broke free from his chains and advanced toward her. His hand reached out to touch her neck. Just as Ye Yuntang braced herself for him to snap her throat, he suddenly bent down and bit into her neck.

A slight pain radiated from her nape as her body shuddered. After tasting her blood, shock flashed in Xie Chenyan’s eyes, quickly replaced by a more sinister resolve. He sucked a few more drops, the murderous aura fading quietly from his gaze.

Raising his head, he looked at Ye Yuntang with a voice cold as ice, “You came to seduce me with your blood, is that it?”

Ye Yuntang shook her head vigorously.

Xie Chenyan released her, and she collapsed weakly to the floor. After a moment’s hesitation, she timidly asked, “Your Majesty, shall we proceed?”

A jolt struck Xie Chenyan’s heart as his gaze fell on Ye Yuntang. Her hair was disheveled, her collar slipping from her shoulder, revealing a proud hint of spring—pitiful yet achingly beautiful.

This young lady of the Ye family had first impressed Xie Chenyan as bold and ambitious. Yet now, she remained as unguarded as ever. Such blunt innocence might charm most men, but it was precisely what he despised most.

Because such women often feigned purity and innocence, luring men into their traps only to claim dominion afterward.

“Do you think I am a man you can manipulate at will? Do you think I would pity you so easily?” Xie Chenyan’s voice involuntarily grew colder.

Biting her lip, Ye Yuntang’s eyes flickered with a trace of grievance. “If Your Majesty despises me so, then my suffering in the cold palace and feigning civility with our enemies was but my own folly. If so, please grant me a swift end…”

Xie Chenyan sneered coldly, “If you wish to die, then I shall grant your wish.”

Her body shuddered slightly. Slowly lifting her head, her gaze softened and warmed, stirring a tender pity. “I have fallen to this state through my own fault. But I cannot bear to see Your Majesty tormented by illness. Before, I did not understand the severity. Now, risking my life to obtain the antidote, I only wish to use my blood to cure you... I beg only for Your Majesty’s health, free from poison.”

Xie Chenyan fell silent, scrutinizing Ye Yuntang. He searched her delicate face for any sign of deceit, but the sorrow and sincerity in her eyes seemed genuine.

His gaze darkened as he muttered, “You have made some progress these months, but too little…”

Ye Yuntang drew a dagger from her robe, closed her eyes, and plunged it fiercely into her chest.

“Clang!”

Xie Chenyan struck the blade aside sternly. “Are you mad?”

Her eyes dimmed, tears streaming down her pale face. “I told you, Your Majesty, you are all I have left. If you do not love me, do not want me, then I have no choice but to die.”

“You…”

A flash of crimson touched Xie Chenyan’s eyes.

“Your Majesty, even if you do not kill me tonight, I fear I will not live much longer.”

Her body grew limp.

Instinctively, Xie Chenyan caught her wavering form. The fragility in her hands made his brow furrow deeply.

Looking at the pale, yet breathtakingly beautiful face in his arms, his heart constricted painfully.

Could she truly love him so much as to embrace death?

A bitter smile flickered across Ye Yuntang’s lips, mingling despair with relief. “Your Majesty, those in the cold palace seek to kill you, but how could I allow them to slay my beloved? So, I…”

A trickle of blood escaped her mouth as her eyes slowly closed.

Xie Chenyan’s grip involuntarily tightened, emotions surging within him.

“I will not let you die. If you dare, I will exhume your grave and whip your corpse!”

Ye Yuntang smiled inwardly, savoring his control.

...

Ye Yuntang awoke from her dream to find Xie Chenyan resting against the headboard. She slipped out from under the covers, gazing at his flawless face. Just as her fingers reached to trace the bridge of his nose, he caught her hand.

“Ouch…” Ye Yuntang gasped, “Your Majesty, you hurt me.”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Beauty lies in the bone, not the skin. Has no one told you how handsome you are, Your Majesty?” She lifted her face, innocence shining in her eyes.

“Sweet talk!”

Xie Chenyan snorted coldly, shaking off her hand, though the sharpness in his eyes remained.

“You woman, are you plotting some scheme again?”

Ye Yuntang rubbed her reddened wrist, pouting softly. “What scheme could I have? I simply think Your Majesty is very handsome. In this palace, everyone fears you, but I find you handsome and gentle.”

Gentle?

Xie Chenyan frowned slightly. Seeing her earnest expression stirred an unfamiliar feeling within him.

“Since you’re awake, remain quietly in your chambers.”

Ye Yuntang’s eyes brightened suddenly. “Your Majesty, you won’t punish me to the cold palace anymore?”

“The poison in your body still needs to be cleansed through acupuncture.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Yuntang immediately leaned close to his face. “So… that means I can see Your Majesty every day from now on?”

“You…”

Before he could reply, Ye Yuntang pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I knew you were the kindest to me!”

She hugged Xie Chenyan excitedly, forgetting entirely that she was still undressed. His firm chest pressed against her softness, squeezing fiercely, yet she remained unaware.

Xie Chenyan lowered his head, the alluring sight before him stirring something deep within...